After a demonstration of new PT boats, navy brass are still unconvinced of their viability in combat, leaving Lt. "Rusty" Ryan frustrated. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, however, Ryan and his buddy Lt. Brickley are told they can finally take their squadron into battle. The PT boats quickly prove their worth, successfully shooting down Japanese planes, relaying messages between islands, and picking off a multitude of enemy ships.
Where to Watch They Were Expendable
They Were Expendable Ratings & Reviews
- Mister ArnJune 16, 2025“They Were Expendable” is John Ford’s sobering take on World War II, following a PT boat squadron in the early, desperate days of the war in the Philippines. John Wayne and Robert Montgomery play officers trying to prove the worth of their PT boats. The film avoids spectacle and easy victories; instead, it delivers a quiet, measured tribute to those who served and were left behind. Made with a veteran’s eye, it’s unsentimental, which only makes its emotional weight hit harder.
- Jean-Marie Victor JungblutDecember 11, 2024Real jewel of a movie. Retraced the War in the Pacific from its outbreak on the 7. December 1941 to abandonment of the Phillipines by the US forces in 1942 from the perspective of a squadron of PT boats. The cast is excellent and a series of missions from sinking Japanese war vessels to bringing US Gerneral MacArthur to Mindanao. Apart from a few cringy episodes involving a totally unromantic John Wayne involved in a melodramatic fling, the movie is highly entertaining and is worth watching over and over.
- James EdgarMay 24, 2025A fabulous film
They Were Expendable Trivia
They Were Expendable was released on December 31, 1945.
They Were Expendable was directed by John Ford.
They Were Expendable has a runtime of 2h 15m.
They Were Expendable was produced by John Ford.
After a demonstration of new PT boats, navy brass are still unconvinced of their viability in combat, leaving Lt. "Rusty" Ryan frustrated. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, however, Ryan and his buddy Lt. Brickley are told they can finally take their squadron into battle. The PT boats quickly prove their worth, successfully shooting down Japanese planes, relaying messages between islands, and picking off a multitude of enemy ships.
The key characters in They Were Expendable are Lt. John Brickley (Robert Montgomery), Lt. (J.G.) 'Rusty' Ryan (John Wayne), Lt. Sandy Davyss (Donna Reed).
They Were Expendable is rated Approved.
They Were Expendable is a War, Drama, Action film.
They Were Expendable has an audience rating of 7.3 out of 10.